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Trouble Abroad

According to February’s ITIJ, when British tourists encounter trouble abroad, they contact the UK’s FCO, or Foreign Commonwealth Office. This organisation is trained to aid British Citizens who find themselves in difficulty whilst on holiday or travelling abroad, for example a lost or stolen Passport. In fact, in 2011 alone over 25,969 incidents of lost or stolen passports were recorded worldwide, making it the most frequent problem reported to the FCO.

However, the FCO also deal with much more serious problems, for example incidents where Britons have been incarcerated or seriously injured or even forced into marriages in a foreign country. From April 2010 – March 2011 alone, the FCO dealt with 1.79 queries and helped around 45,000 people.

For instance, during this period;• Over one thousand Britons were arrested in the USA• Over 1,000 Brits were hospitalised in Spain, over 450 in Greece, over 245 in Thailand, around 200 in France, 150 in the USA and over 140 in Turkey. (Most of these apparently involved motor cycles, alcohol or drugs.)• Over 5,900 British people died abroad• Over 1,740 people were arrested in Spain for crimes related to drugs

If you are injured, or if you travel documents and personal possessions becomes lost or damaged, whilst you are abroad it is reassuring to know that you have the protection of a travel insurance policy. Holidaysafe’s award winning policies can offer up to £10 million in case of medical emergency, £1,000 in cancellation fees, and £3,000 for lost baggage.